The invention relates to the field of equipment for motor vehicles.
In particular, the invention relates to an equipment assembly for a motor vehicle comprising
a first electrical connection part mounted on a first piece of equipment, the first piece of equipment comprising a first guiding and positioning member permitting relative guiding in one assembly direction and positioning of the first electrical connection part on the first piece of equipment,
a second piece of electrical equipment comprising a second guiding and positioning member complementary to the first one and permitting relative guiding and positioning of the second piece of equipment on the first piece of equipment,
a second electrical connection part complementary to the first one, mounted on the second piece of equipment.
The mounting of an item of equipment having electrical connections on another item of equipment already fixed or pre-positioned on the vehicle poses considerable problems of manipulation and necessitates operations which are difficult to automate. For example, the installation of an instrument panel, which includes electrically supplied displays, on the dashboard, this latter being already in place inside the vehicle, is generally carried out in the following manner: via the interior of the vehicle the operator approaches the instrument panel which has an electrical connection housing on its rear face, grips the other connector part wired through the interior of the cavity of the dashboard provided to receive the instrument panel; he must then carry out the assembly of the connectors whilst keeping the instrument panel close to the receiving cavity or to the interior thereof, the cable having an excess length with respect to the assembled position of the instrument panel in the dashboard.
This manipulation is not only complex but also is not compatible with the implementation of a carmated assembly process, and consequently it constitutes a major obstacle to achieving productivity gains.
A principal aim of the invention is to render assembly operations of the type described above less tiresome and more simple for an operator, even to make it possible to automate the operation, and to compensate automatically during the installation for the play in the relative positioning of the connection pieces.
To this end, according to the invention, the second electrical connection part is mounted on the corresponding piece of equipment with a clearance in at least one direction substantially orthogonal to the assembly direction, and comprises a third guiding and positioning member complementary to the first one, such that the first guiding and positioning member defines a unique reference for relative positioning of the pieces of equipment and for relative positioning of the first and second connection parts.
According to other characteristics of the invention:
the second connection part is mounted on the second piece of equipment with a clearance in two directions substantially orthogonal to the assembly direction;
the clearance in at least one direction substantially orthogonal to the assembly direction is greater than 1.5 mm, preferably of the order of 2 mm;
the equipment assembly has resilient means for stressing the second connection part towards a neutral position with respect to the second piece of equipment, acting in at least one direction of clearance;
the guiding and positioning members of the second piece of equipment and of the second connection part on the one hand and the guiding and positioning member of the first piece of equipment on the other hand are complementary rails extending in a substantially rectilinear manner along the direction of coupling of the connection parts;
the rail of the second connection part extends substantially in the extension of the rail of the second piece of equipment;
the second connection part is rigidly joined to a printed circuit board which is itself mounted with a clearance on the corresponding piece of equipment;
the said board is a visible part which can be seen from the interior of the vehicle when the assembly is mounted on the vehicle; and
at least one of the connections parts is a housing in which contacts are located.
According to a first embodiment of the invention, the two connection parts are housings which are complementary to one another, in each of which are accommodated the respective contacts which are complementary to those accommodated in the other part of the connection housing.
According to a second embodiment of the invention, one of the connection parts is a housing in which are accommodated contacts of the butt contact type, whilst the other connection part comprises conductive surfaces formed on the printed circuit board, the said surfaces having the said butt-type contacts resting on them.
According to this embodiment the third means of guiding and positioning is directly formed in the printed circuit board.
As will be shown below, the invention applies more particularly to the fixing of an item of electrical equipment on a dashboard, a door panel, a central console, a seat or even a horn.
The item of electrical equipment may consist, as has already been mentioned, of an instrument panel, but may also be a car radio, a control console or a display.